You may call me Niani. I am a Pagan who has been more or less stalking this site for a year or so, and I have finally decided to join and get involved in discussions. I keep leaving and coming back to this place - something about this....just can't shake it. Maybe it's a good thing. Either way, I plan on thoroughly investigating. Something keeps leading me back here, and I'm now determined to find out what. Perhaps I just have more to learn from the wise people here. I have learned much already.

I'm not sure I can truly identify with vampirism. I know how to take energy. Occasionally I have fed off of blood, though not because I needed to. If I had to classify myself, I would say I'm more of an energy/tantric "vampire." I'm lead to believe "true" vampires need to feed regularly. I do not. Then again, I often am ill and weak, so perhaps...hahaa. I will have to get back to you on whether or not the answer to my health problems has been staring me in the face or not. If feeding regularly does make a difference, I'll be pretty cross with myself. I guess I'm just picky about what energy I take inside myself. Specifically the reason I don't feed on blood more often. Most people are....icky.

But yes, I am a "witch" with roughly eighteen years of practicing and research experience, though that hardly adds up to anything relevant, I think. I just have established a firm basis. I still can't tell you how to cultivate any given herb properly. I still have much to learn, and that's why I'm here. It is my passion, my whole purpose in life, to learn as much as I can to better myself and the lives of those around me.

Addressing one of your questions, a true vampire doesn't necessarily feed regularly and that is especially true when it comes to Asetians and Sethians. For example the Scorpion lineage is known to feed only rarely, being extremely elitist about who they interact with on such an intimate spiritual level.Those who draw blood all the time, especially if publicly or are vocal about it, are more often than not fetishists rather than vampires in my opinion, but others may think differently.

Interesting. Thank you for your insight. I have to agree with you on the fetishist thing. I can't bring myself to even take energy from just anyone. Which is why I very rarely do it. I haven't "fed" since I was probably about fifteen and just honing my energy manipulation skills. I admit to being intrigued by all the lineages and whatnot. I will have to dig a little deeper into that. I plan on purchasing the Asetian Bible at first opportunity.

Thank you for your time, and I look forward to conversing more with you.

Indeed, it is my understanding that the defining feature of a vampire is one who needs to feed. Severity of need varies, as previous commenters have described. I don't feed often, but I also have a chronic illness which gets worse if I am not careful with both my treatment plan and my feeding habits.

Your totem, is it a jaguar or a leopard, do you know? Black Panthers are only called such because their species comes from the genus classification Panthera, which includes 4(?) of the large cat species.

I am extremely late in answering this question - apologies. I took a hiatus after some things and I am back, again. To answer your question, Nightside, I believe it would be a Black Panther, though I'm not really sure. My totem rarely appears to me visually during meditations or astral travel and when she does my keen scientific mind can only process her as "giant black kitty-cat." I'll have to give that more thought.

Ugh, it's been a long day. I meant to say I believe it would be Jaguar. My brain is mush after all the crap I've been going through lately, sorry. It's amazing I remember my own name at this point lol.